One of the things I thought I would miss after going independent was the comradeship and community that comes with working with a group of focussed, like-minded people.
I turns out that there are thousands of independent councillors out there. In Hedge End we have got so used to having our local politics dominated by political parties, and one party in particular, that it is hard to remember there is another way of doing things.
Independent councillors don't stop having political views, it's just that when they (we) make decisions that affect our local community, those decisions are based on what our consciences tell us are best for our neighbours, not on the the policies of a party whose main objective is getting and keeping national power.
The Local Government Association estimates 2000 independents and minority party councillors at principal authority level. That's about ten percent.
ReplyDeleteThere are something like 100,000 parish and town councillors, so assuming the same ten percent, that's another 10,000 independents. In fact I would expect there to be proportionately more independents at parish level.